EUから英国の離脱は、思わぬところに波紋を与えている。Kenyaの花産業がその犠牲者となった。ケニアを除く東アフリカ経済共同体4か国（EAC: Tanzania, Rwanda, Burundi, Uganda）、とくにタンザニアがEUとEAC国間の自由貿易協定（EPA）を批准することを拒否したからだ。
Hortbizに掲載された記事のタイトルは、「ケニアの花輸出業者への打撃」（添付資料：英文）となっている。
ケニア以外の国は低開発国に属しているのだから、どのみちEUからは最恵国待遇を受けられる。つまりウガンダやタンザニアからの花輸出に関しては、何ら問題がない。しかし、ケニアはEPAが成立しないと、欧州諸国（28か国）向けの花に、8～12％の関税がかかることになる。
ケニアの花生産者が関税を払うのは、1～2年の時限的な事態だと予想していた。ところが、英国のEU離脱が、思わぬところで波紋を呼ぶことになった。東アフリカ諸国は、EU（や英国）とEPAを結ぶことに躊躇している。その動機は、不確かなEUの行方にある。ケニアにとっては、コーヒー豆などにも関税がかかる。とんだとばっちり、大被害である。
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”Blow for Kenyan flower exporters”
Tanzania has back-stabbed Kenya by chickening out of a trade pact that would have given Kenya’s exports unfettered access to the European Union.
The decision by Dar to bolt out of the comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (EPA) between East African Community (EAC) and the EU leaves Kenya’s exports exposed to heavy taxes. These taxes have been estimated to range from eight to 12 per cent of the value.
Kenya exports tea, coffee and flowers to the 28-member market which has lately been pushed into a fire-fighting mode after citizens of one of its members, Britain, voted to leave the union.
The decision which has come as a shocker to other members of the EAC might also spell doom to more than 600,000 workers mainly in the flower farms and fresh foods producers.
Friday, Tanzania’s Permanent Secretary for foreign Affairs Dr Aziz Mlima said his country would not sign the EAC-EU EPA citing ‘turmoil’ in the EU occasioned by the impending exit of the United Kingdom.
Apart from Kenya, the other four EAC member States —Tanzania, Rwanda, Burundi and Uganda— which are still classified as least developed countries (LDCs) will not be affected by this development as their low economic status allows them to access the EU market tax-free.
“Tanzania has been proving difficult and slow in firming up the new deal, which if not actualised by end of September, it will have serious implications,” said a senior government official, who asked not to be named. He added, “Tanzania’s decision is not surprising, going by her behaviour lately.”
“Tanzania has been proving difficult and slow in firming up the new deal, which if not actualised by end of September, it will have serious implications,” said a senior government official, who asked not to be named. He added, “Tanzania’s decision is not surprising, going by her behaviour lately.”
President Uhuru Kenyatta informed the African, Caribbean and Pacific (ACP) ambassadors in Brussels, Belgium recently that the negotiations with the EU were concluded and the EAC member States had set a date for signing.
Currently, Kenya’s exports to the EU are categorised under the latter’s Generalised System of Preferences (GSP), which applies tariffs on Kenyan exports and thereby is less favourable than the duty-free-quota-free (DFQF) scheme.
Meanwhile, the LDC members of the EAC continue to benefit from DFQF access to the EU under the Everything But Arms regime (EBA). It will be harder for Kenya’s flower exporters who have been hoping for an extension of the pact. Kenya’s horticulture risks losing about Sh4 billion a month should the levies take effect.
Kenya Flowers Council Chief Executive Officer Jane Ngige recently said that failure to sign the pact will put Kenya in an awkward position as the country needs to continue accessing the European market. “Failure to pass the deal would mean exports into Europe would be taxed to access the lucrative 28-member-State union,” said Mrs Ngige in a past interview with The Standard.
“Should Kenya miss out on signing the EPAs, trade between it and Europe would be reverted to the less generous market access terms under the General System of Preference (GSP),” she added.
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Photo credit: GlobalPost
07/11/2016 – Standard Digital News
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